A group of people walking on a college campus near the Kanawha River wore "Make America Great Again" shirts while passing an RV with the image of Michael Flynn, a key figure in the effort to overturn. They waited to see a film about the former general and Trump administration national security adviser who pleaded guilty for lying to the FBI and was later pardoned, portraying him as a hero unfairly punished by the deep state. Flynn showed his support for Evans, who was running for the GOP nomination for the U.S. House on his own story of political persecution. Evans was sentenced to three months in prison in January of 2021. He resigned from his post after facing prosecution for live-streaming crowds trying to stop Congress from certifying the election of Joe Biden. In this election cycle, he has presented himself as a J6 political prisoner in order to win the GOP primary in a once-blue coal state. The Voter Guide has information on who is running for president and where they stand on key issues.
It was Wednesday night, less than a week before the primary election, which could decide who takes the House seat in Republican-leaning District 1. The race had become a key test of voters' conclusions on January 6, the event that cut a new dividing line through American politics. Many people who participated in the riot in some way have sought election to a variety of things, including school boards and Congress. Donald Trump is still waiting for a jury to rule on federal charges that he tried to steal the 2020 election. Evans and other candidates count on the electorate to see the insurrection in the same light. When they learn that I'm the elected guy that got arrested for January 6 they shake my hand and tell me they're going to vote for me, and I was drawn to vote for Evans by what she views as. She said that he was put in jail because he was at the Capitol. It's not certain if that message will be enough to topple incumbent Carol Miller, who voted against certifying the 2020 election. Evans, a bison farmer, will face Miller, a Huntington farmer, in the primary on Tuesday. Evans has had some encouraging signs, including raising more campaign funding than anticipated and winning an endorsement from a congressman. The 14th Amendment, which bars insurrectionists from taking office, could be affected by an upset win. Evans' views about the meaning of Jan. 6: it was simply the moment he had the courage to speak out.
His father founded the Oath Keepers and went to prison.
January 6 could draw voters or repel them.
Jim Umberger, who is running in the Democratic primary for the District 1 congressional seat against Charleston resident Chris Bob Reed, wound his pickup down a two-lane rural road days before the election. The retired health administrator and Vietnam veteran was looking on a map to find people who were Democrats. Joe Manchin won't be running for reelection when his term ends next year, and Trump won every county in 2020. She said she had to install them all because of the state's drug epidemic. She said that she was appalled to see that. Umberger said that running against Evans may be too far for a lot of people, and that Republicans who downplayed the riot have helped change such views. The percentage of people who said the rioters were criminals went from 70% to 42% in two weeks. Evans was condemned by many state leaders when he was arrested at his home just days after the riot, but after his release, he spoke about his experience. He wrote a book called "Political Prisoner: The Untold Story of January 6th" and decided to return to the Capitol as a congressman. Marybeth Beller, a political science professor, said that those who believe the insurrectionists were saving the country and that the election had been stolen are now given a newfound legitimacy because of the changing terminology that's coming from Trump and others supporters. She said the debate over Jan. 6 has faded from the public eye and is no longer important to voters. Chris Trent said that most establishment Republicans support Miller because she is pro-Trump. He is not surprised that some anti-establishment GOP voters, especially those frustrated at the lack of progress in addressing the state's drug epidemic and or significantly boosting its economy, are drawn to Evans. Evans has received more support than he would have received without the January 6th charges. Evans raised more money than Miller in the first half of the year. Sam Workman is the director of the Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs at West Virginia University. Two years ago, Miller won a third term after winning a majority of the vote in a five-candidate primary. Miller said voters are more concerned about inflation, illegal immigration, and election security than they are about the price of gas. Miller did not directly answer if Evans should not serve in Congress because of his involvement in the Capitol attack, but she did say that she didn't think about him at all.
The video shows that the candidate did not join the Capitol riot.
Is it possible for a January 6 participant to be elected to federal office? In downtown Charleston, across town from the gold-domed state Capitol, residents ducked into an early voting site on the ground floor of a parking garage, its glass windows reflecting the lights of a police car parked just outside. One woman complained of having to choose between Democrats and Republicans because she didn't want to offend anyone.
Ken Sullivan, a Democrat, said he was worried about threats to democracy and right-wing candidates on local boards. Felons in West Virginia can't vote until their sentences are completed. Evans was sentenced to three months in prison and 36 months of supervised release for obstructing a federal function and for committing an act to obstruct, impede, or interfere with law enforcement officers. The group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington argued that Evans should not be on the ballot because he was a felon on supervised release. UCLA law professor Rick Hasen is the director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project and he says that it applies to people who served in federal state or local office and took an oath to uphold the Constitution. Evans won the state office in November 2020 and briefly held it. Hasen said that it would be up to Congress to enforce the 14th Amendment, but that it was not certain if members would need to pursue it through a statute or not. If it made it that far, Workman thinks a majority Republican House would not attempt to enforce it. He said that the past quarter-century in politics has shown that rules and laws can be disobeyed or not. He said that the internal dynamics of the two parties are more important in politics than debates over law, rules, or written policy. Evans said he would win any battle to block him if he were elected. He vowed to refuse to play patty-cake politics in his fight against political "swamps" and a corrupt "deep state." I looked around and realized that I would have to fight my way back out of the swamp after the illegitimate Biden regime ripped me away from my family and drug me to the middle of the swamp. He said that he decided to run for Congress and take the battle to their front door the same way they brought it to his.
If I win the election, we're going to have fun.
Evans walked across the grassy campus to the building that hosted the Flynn movie. Guests who paid $35 for the movie could take a photo-op with Flynn and receive gifts such as a movie poster, a collector coin, and a Flynn book. The reporters were allowed to attend, but Flynn demanded that the media be thrown out before the film started.